Alcohol and Polycystic Kidney Disease

No matter what kind of kidney disease you have, alcohol is not a good choice for better kidney management. If you happen to be a person with PKD, you are suggested to avoid or at least limit alcohol as much as possible.

There are 3 reasons why alcohol is not a good choice for patients with PKD.

Research has found that alcohol especially white spirits should be given up by PKD patients because alcohol has particularly great stimulation to the kidney Cysts. It can stimulate the activity of the polycystic protein and speed up the secretion of the cystic fluid and the growth rate the cysts.

Elevate Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a common complication for Polycystic Kidney Disease. There have been studies that drinking alcohol can increase blood pressure 15 to 20 points. And if you start off hypertensive, raising your blood pressure 15 or 20 points probably does as much as double your risk of stroke, so this certainly fits with things we already know.

If you keep to the recommended limits for alcohol, this will help to keep your blood pressure down.

Aggravate Kidney Damage

Alcohol over intake compromises the function of the kidneys by altering fluids levels, especially electrolytes. In addition, alcohol consumption will create fluctuations in the hormones that govern kidney function with regard to various physiological processes, such as blood potassium or blood pressure regulation.

Even if you are drinking less than the recommended limits of alcohol, you will surely get more benefits from drinking less. As how to control your drinking, here are some tips for your information.

- Avoided Salty Foods. If you keep to the recommended limits for alcohol, this will help to keep your blood pressure down.

- Check the label. Many drinks' labels now tell you how many units they contain.

- Make your drinks last longer by adding mixers or water.

For more tips and information, you are suggested to leave a message below or you can email your problem to kidneyservice@hotmail.com